Cycling: Club's tribute to tragic Ken Rushall

RUGBY Racing Cycling Club held a minute’s silence at their weekly 10-mile time trial as a mark of respect for stalwart member Ken Rushall who died in an event on the popular Princethorpe course last week.

RUGBY Racing Cycling Club held a minute’s silence at their weekly 10-mile time trial as a mark of respect for stalwart member Ken Rushall who died in an event on the popular Princethorpe course last week.

The 82-year-old was competing in rival town club Rugby Velo’s midweek 10 when he crashed into a stationary lorry parked on the Straight Mile just after the start of the course that leads to the A45.

His club, Rugby RCC, cancelled their weekly time trial that was due to take place on the course the following night when the elderly rider was due to have been first man off.

Club treasurer and friend Laurie Bird said: “There was a strong consensus that it would be insensitive to run the event so a large group of our riders went for a slow ride around the course.

“Ken used to prefer to go off at No.1 in our events so for this week’s time trial at Princethorpe we booked the number as “In memory of Ken” and counted it through as a minute’s silence.”

Velo, meanwhile, have cancelled all their club events until further notice due to the distress experienced by members who went to his aid.

Ken’s funeral is next Wednesday at Oakley Wood Crematorium, Leamington (11.15am) when all are welcome.

* A number of local riders took part in this year’s National 25-mile Championships held at Holsworthy in Devon at the weekend.

Coventry-based Team Jewson’s Michelle King (1-04-29) finished an impressive fifth in the women’s event won by Julia Shaw (Drag2zero) in 59-20.

The former Coventry CC member equalled her position in the recent 10-mile Championship and was just 20 seconds off the bronze medal place, but is clearly enjoying good form having already won her former club’s Dianne Cooke Memorial event and having broken three course and event records this season.

In the men’s event won by Michael Hutchinson (In-Gear) in 53-36, Coventry Road Club’s Dave Watson (59-40) was the only local competitor to go under the hour on the tough course, finishing 41st in the field.

Rugby RCC’s Tim Hastie (1-03-12) and Russell Morris (1-06-50) also rode the event, finishing 68th and 92nd respectively, while in the junior event Team Jewson’s Josh Teasdale (59-02) and Rob Yeatman (59-41) came an impressive seventh and ninth in the event that was won by Planet X rider Ryan Mullen in 56-16.

In road racing, a number of local riders competed at Bearly, near Stratford, on a demanding eight-mile circuit with a tough climb at Wolverton on each lap.

Matt Pursehouse (Warks RC) had a convincing win in the 56-mile even for A/B veterans with a solo breakaway while Coventry Road Club’s Mark Farrar crashed heavily on the second lap due to a mechanical problem and had to retire.

And in the 40-mile race three for EF&G category vets Don Parry (Team Corley Cycles) led in a succesful four man breakaway including Tony Taylor (Team Jewson) who finished first F vet for riders 65 and over. Jewson’s Martin Hackley and John Hughes (Cov RC) followed in the main bunch.

In the Derby Mercury Road Race for second, third and fourth category riders, Rugby’s Ryan Ballard (Jewson) capitalised on his hill climbing talents to win the King of the Mountains award after taking most points on the selected hills.

o Jewson director Mick Ives helped raise £20,000 for the Dr Barnardos charity when he took part in a sponsored ride in the French Alps along with company chief executive Peter Hindle, riding over some of the highest climbs in the Alps, totaling over 10,000 feet of climbing.

The fourth round of the Friday Night Summer Mountain Bike Series took place on a new course devised by Welland Valley CC on rolling Leicestershire farmland. The course featured many twists and turns and lots of short steep climbs and descents to test riders’ fitness.

A close race in the senior category saw Ryan Henry (MTZoom.com) taking the win by a second from Lutterworth Cycles’ Matt Barrett, with Richard Jones and Dan Booth close behind, while Coventry Road Club’s Matt Smart finished 28th.